Akpujiogu

Akpujiogu is an Igbo town in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. Often referred to as just "Akpu", the town's geographical coordinates lie within 6” 02’46 North and 7” 12’36 East. It shares boundaries with Ajalli, Ufuma, Nawfija, Ogboji, and Ndiowu.

History[edit]

The origin of the town is linked to two well-known legends: one traces it back to Akpugoeze in Enugu State, while the other finds hints of a relationship to Nri. Following the British invasion of Arochukwu in 1902, Akpujiogu rented property to Aro refugees. The majority of these individuals had escaped the British, but some had been living among them. These settler groups eventually came to constitute the cities of Ndiokolo, Ndiokpalaeke, and Ajalli. Additionally, nearby municipalities have rented property to the Aro, a practice that was formalized in a 1911 agreement. The colonial buildings in the area rented to Ajalli—a government school in 1911, a post office in 1909, and a court in 1907—were made feasible by this kindness. Apart from the Aro tenant communities, Akpujiogu is also the location of the Saint Dominic Savio Catholic Seminary. The seminary is situated on a hillock that was the subject of a dane-gun-breaking exercise carried out by the colonial authorities in 1904-5 as part of the Pax Britannica. As a result, the hillock was named Ugwuntijiegbe, which translates to "The Hillock Where Guns Are Broken" in Igbo.

Landmarks[edit]

The town is famed for several historical landmarks, especially in religion. A major stronghold of Roman Catholicism since 1911, its Saint Matthew Church was elevated to parish status in 1945, making it the second oldest in the present Catholic Diocese of Awka. The first parish priest there was the Blessed Iwene Michael Tansi, so far Nigeria’s only beatified person. In the town, a school bears his name: the Father Tansi Memorial Secondary School. Further located in the town is a National Gallery of Art: the Ufesiodo Heritage Centre, named after the nickname of the geographical expanse of Orumba South and North local government areas, a nickname stemming from the presence of the mysterious Odo River. Ufesiodo is Igbo for “Across the Odo River”.

The town comprises fifteen villages: Ihebuebu, Mgboko, Ohemmiri, Okparaebutere, Uhuana, Umuanaga, Umudiana, Umuezeagu, Umuezeakpu, Umuezechukwu, Umuezeilo, Umuihu, Umuikpa, Umuokpara, and Upata. Their major river is the Aghommiri River, a tributary of the Mamu River, which in itself is a tributary of the Anambra River.

Notable people[edit]

The immediate past Member of the House of Representatives for Orumba South and North Constituency in the Nigerian National Assembly, Honourable Ben Nwankwo, hails from the town, as did the late High Chief Ebenezer Onuigbo, a foremost multi-millionaire business tycoon in the 1960s and 1970s. High Chief Sir Cyril Sunday Eze, President General Igbo Speaking Community in Lagos State, is also a prominent Son of Akpu in Orumba South lga.

Akpu Day is their annual celebration on 26 December.

References[edit]